Whenever people talk about soccer players in terms of their earnings, David Beckham is always at the top. But if one cares to check out the list of top notch 20 highest paid football stars, then they will realize that Beckham is not even close to them in terms of his earning. To most, it shall be cleared right here that Beckham earns $6.5 million annually which makes him part of top 50 highest paid players barely!

Surprising fact isn’t it? Well let’s just come out of David’s earning and have a quick glance into the top five highly paid football stars at present:

No. 1: Christiano Ronaldo, a 25 year old Portuguese player who plays as a forward for Real Madrid earns $17.06 million annually. In Spanish national team, Christiano is the most expensive player. It could be imagined by the fact that Real Madrid bought the rights of Christiano worth $132 million from Manchester United in 2009.

No. 2: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a Swedish player who has been able to earn $15.7 million in 2009-2010 seasons. Ibrahimovic is a 29-year-old player who is a striker in Barcelona.

No. 3: Lonel Messi is the youngest 22 year old player of Argentina who is among the top 20 highest paid players in the football world. In the season of 2009-2010, Messi earned $13.7 million. Messi is going to represent his national team in 2010 FIFA World Cup.

No. 4: Samuel Eto’o, the Cameroon’s national football team captain has a contract at current of worth $13.74 million. In 2010 FIFA World Cup, Messi is going to lead his team and all eyes are on him to win the World Cup for Argentina.

No. 5: Kaka, the heartbeat of female fans and the most popular player of Brazilian team is going to earn $13.13 million this year by playing as a mid fielder for Real Madrid.

A money temptation along with style, glamour and popularity, football for sure is a way to live a perfect life!

Barcelona Football Club is a Spanish club based in the city with a similar name from Spain. This club is also known as “Barca” or “Katalan”. It is the second most successful club in Spanish League. This club has won 19 La Liga (Spanish League) titles. They also won UEFA Champions League three times. They have been three times FIFA Club World Cup champions. Barcelona has been playing in La Liga since 1899 and never relegated from La Liga. Their rival team is Real Madrid.

This team was founded in 1899. Barcelona has the first position in this La Liga season. The present team contains a lot of big stars. Messi is their biggest star. The president of this team is Joan Laporta and the present coach is Josep Guardiola. Carles Puyol is the present captain of Barcelona.

The shirt color of Barcelona is red with blue stripes. This has been their theme color since 1899. The sock color is the same as the shirt. Nou Camp is the home ground of Barcelona football club. The capacity of this stadium is approximately 98,800, being one of the biggest stadiums in Spain. The current formation of Barcelona is 4-3-3. Messi plays a great role in left aggressive midfield position.

The football is a team game that is played between two teams including eleven players a side. Out of these eleven players, some plays the game as defenders, some plays as attackers and some players play it as midfielder. The midfielder’s role is considered to be the strongest as it is the link between defenders and attackers. Let us look at world’s best midfielders in football during 2005-2010.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: With his all-round dribbling, shooting and tackling abilities, Cristiano Ronaldo is considered to be one of the best midfielders in the world and he has the good capability of converting the scoring opportunities into the goal.

2. Ronaldinho: A Brazilian with the brilliant all-round skills is also considered to be one of the best mid-fielders in the world today. He can pass the ball to any corner of the ground with his sheer skills.

3. Lionell Messi: A player who won FIFA’s best player of the year award in 2009 is currently world’s best midfielder who has skills to score goals from the long ranges and he can also pass the ball to all the corner of the ground.

4. Frank Lampard: The Englishman has always helped the England to win the games with his sheer skills and footwork. He has also converted lots of opportunities into the goal for England.

The high salaries earned by soccer players, are currently one of the most discussed topics throughout the football world. The question as to if athletes in general and soccer players in particular, should be earning the kind of money they’re earning is more pulsating then ever these days, with clubs paying their players incredible amounts of money each year. It’s somewhat difficult to judge exactly how much a player makes simply from his club salary, because many wage details are private, due to obvious reasons.

France Magazine has recently compiled a list of the highest paid soccer / football players in the world at large which is as follows:

David Beckham, $49.4 million

No one can shift soccer merchandise like Beckham. He did it for Manchester United during his pomp and for Real Madrid over the past four years, where he won over the fans if not the critics. Now coming to America on the back of potential $250 million marketing and playing deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy, he has proved he has the marketing savvy to put him in the elite of sports commercial superstars who outlast their playing days.

Ronaldinho, $38.4 million

The impish Barcelona is not only enjoying the number 2 spot but is also having the best of seasons by his own standards. Like many of the stars of the last World Cup, a long club and international season has taken its physical toll. But he leapfrogged David Beckham last year to become soccer’s top-earning player thanks to endorsement deals with Nike and the likes of consumer electronics giant Sony.

Lionel Messi, $36.6 million

Lionel Messi is an incredibly gifted soccer player who currently plays for Spanish giants FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team. He was almost indispensable in Barca’s first squad and although several thigh injuries kept him away from the pitch, he came back in force in the 2006-2007 season and is playing inform to date.

Cristiano Ronaldo, $31 million

Cristiano was famous about his soccer skills from his teenage. His dazzling footwork and goal-scoring touch made him a teenage star that was known as one of the most exciting young soccer players in the world. Cristiano Ronaldo’s talent caught the eye of Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, who bought him for $20 million US at that time and now he is one of the highest paid sport personalities in the world.

Thierry Henry, $26.8 million

One of Europe’s most feared strikers the Arsenal captain’s elegance and glamour on and off the pitch is remarkable-he is marriage to model Nicole Merry keeps him a marketers’ favorite, while his Arsenal contract of $220,000 (Â£112,000) a week keeps his bank manager merry, too.

Imagine the scene. Hampden Park in Glasgow, the spiritual home of soccer, playing a team of all-stars extracted from all the teams that are currently playing. Eleven men, incomparably supreme athletes, walk onto the pitch. A line-up that is always in the dreams of soccer fans is as follows:

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas

Casillas is one of those players who seem like they’ve been in the game for a long time. Having made his debut for Real Madrid aged just seventeen; his career reached the ultimate pinnacle when he captained his national team to a European Championship victory. Moving onto his physical attributes, Casillas is a great goalkeeper because of his quick reflexes and his bravery, often willing to put his body on the line for the good of the team. And his consistency can’t be matched by any goal keeper!

It’s very hard in world soccer to point out outstanding defenders, as most of the glory goes to the strikers. However, these four names truly stand out. Vidic & Ferdinand – two reasons why Manchester United have the meanest defense in the Premiership. Vidic in particular is the model of bravery, and is as good at scoring from corners as he is at defending them. Ferdinand is a mixture of speed, strength and intelligence, a set of traits that compliment his fellow centre-back.

On the left hand side, there is only ever going to be one choice – Ashley Cole; his raw pace and his ability to go forwards stand him out from his competitors. On the right hand side is the old war horse of the defense. Alessandro Nesta’s ability is un-debatable. He has won a World Cup, as well as a Champion’s League medal.

Cristiano Ronaldo stands alone at the support of world soccer. His blend of fierce speed, ankle breaking skills and sheer courage put him in a league of his own.

Lionel Messi is simply the future of Argentinean soccer. Unlike the Portuguese, he always kicks it up a notch in the big games.

In the middle are the two midfielders. Gerrard is always capable of changing the course of a match. He is deadly shooting from outside the area, and is a complete fighter. Gattuso is a defensive midfielder. He marks his men pretty well and never gives them breathing space. His tough tackling also makes the player double minded for his move.

Strikers: Fernando Torres, Dimitar Berbatov

While many others can make it to the striker list, I’ll point out that these two are not the two best strikers in the world but perhaps the two who would play best together. Fernando Torres is the classic out. His ability to run between defenders and his coolness under pressure are great assets to his side. Berbatov always has a threat coming from his superb control, effortless skill and his ability to hold up the ball for other players to come and support him.